тюльпаны
by PerfectCosima
Summary: "Once upon a time, in a little town named Styria, there lived a very sad girl. The world aged around her, but she was left as she was, untouched and lonely."  "Her name was Carmilla!"
1. Chapter 1

"Mama, tell me the story."

"You've heard it so many times that you could practically tell it yourself!"

"I know, but I like to hear you say it."

"Okay, little cupcake. I'll give you your story, but straight to bed after, deal?"

"Deal."

"Once upon a time, in a little town named Styria, there lived a very sad girl. The world aged around her, but she was left as she was, untouched and lonely."

"Her name was Carmilla!"

"I thought you were going to let me tell you the story, sweetie!"

"Sorry, Mama."

"Yes, her name was Carmilla, and she was as beautiful as she was sad, with dark brown hair and soulful eyes. Now this girl had a very evil Maman. Carmilla was going to college in Styria, at Silas University, when her mother told her that she was switching her into a room with a freshman named Laura, and she was to capture her, and sacrifice her in a ritual for the mother. Now Carmilla didn't want to capture people anymore, but she didn't dare go against her maman's wishes. So she did as she was told, and moved into the room. However, rather than trying to hurt her new roommate, she tried to protect her, giving her charms and bracelets to protect her from the evil. She was a good person, but Laura didn't know this. When Laura found out what Carmilla truly was-"

"A vampire!"

"Yes, cupcake, a vampire. When Laura found out that Carmilla was a vampire, she thought that she was the one taking girls from around campus, rather than protecting them, and decided to try to capture her with the help of her friends. They succeeded. Laura kept Carmilla locked up in their room for nine days before they fed her. Of course, it was all in vain. Carmillla was a good guy; it was her brother Will who was capturing girls, who was bringing them to their Maman.

"After that, Carmilla and Laura's relationship grew far less hostile. They still had fights; Laura wanted to defeat the evil, but Carmilla thought that they had no chance. However they became closer, and closer, Carmilla falling more and more in love with her tiny roommate. Then the battle came. Carmilla and Laura and their friends defeated the evil, but at the highest cost. Carmilla had disappeared into the pit and was presumed dead. When she surfaced a while later, neither of them could deny what was happening. They admitted their true feelings, and started a relationship together. Unfortunately, the evil didn't remain defeated. Even when they fled Silas it was together, and together they returned to fight the evil once more, sending it underground to it's depths.

"After this, they finally thought it was safe to start a life together. They finished college, got married, and then a couple years later, they went to a doctor, and Laura finally got pregnant, after trying multiple times with different donors. Nine months later, their daughter, Amelia K. Hollis, was born."

"That's me!"

"That's right, cupcake, that was when you were born. Do you really want to hear the end of the story tonight, or can we leave it happy?"

"The rest of the story, Mama!"

"Okay, creampuff, cuddle closer and I'll tell you the rest. About a year after you were born, something horrible happened. Laura and Carmilla got news from Silas that the ground had started shaking again, that people were going missing. Even though they lived in Canada, they knew that they weren't safe; they knew that the monster would want revenge, and would stop at nothing to get it, to destroy them all. Carmilla struggled with what to do, even though she knew that she only really ever had one option. Late at night, she crept into her daughter's room, kissing her on the forehead and saying-"

"I love you, cupcake. I want you to know that I wish I could stay. I wish I could watch you grow up, and be with you for every step of the way, every little smile and word. I don't want to miss a thing. I'm sorry, cupcake, but it's just gonna be you and your Mama now; I have to leave to keep you guys safe. I love you more than all the stars in the sky, and I'll love you as long as they're up there, and long after that. Goodbye, Amy. Remember me."

"I told you that you could tell this story all by yourself, cupcake! How do you remember all those words?"

"I'll never forget Mommy. I promised."

"I know, baby, I know. I never will either."

"Will you tell the rest of the story? Your part?"

"Anything for you, cupcake. Here it goes.

Laura walked into the room as Carmilla finished, abandoning the niche that she had been listening from. "Do you really have to go?" she asked, reaching out her hand for her wife's, leaning her head against her shoulder as they both stared down at their little girl.

"You know that I do," Carmilla replied. "I have to keep you safe."

"I know you're just doing this for Amy, not really for me, but-"

"Laura!" Carmilla exclaimed, exasperated. "When are you going to realize that this is all for you? You and Amy; you're all that matters to me in the whole world. Please, Laura, never forget that this is all for you. You're my sun and stars, my true love. I'd do anything for I'm going back to Stryia, and I'm going to fight this monster for you, for our life. For us.""

At this point, Laura could no longer hold in her tears, holding her little daughter close as they fell.

"Mama, do you think that Mommy will ever come back?"

"I don't know, cupcake, but I do know that she'll never stop trying."


	2. Chapter 2

A black cat padded up the walkway to the door, bouquet of red tulips clutched tightly in it's mouth. A puff of black smoke, and the animal was replaced by a smiling girl, the flowers in her hand. Red tulips had always been Laura's favorite; they had them at their wedding.

She'd raised her right fist to knock on the door when she spotted them through the window, a vase of red flowers, the same as in her hand. Her hand stopped centimeters from the wood, falling back to her side as she heard laughter echoing from within her home.

She walked back down the front steps in a daze, following the happy noises around her house until she could see the scene taking place in her kitchen. Her daughter, laughing, so big, so tall, so different, yet so obviously the child that she hadn't seen in ten years. And Laura, she had grown older, changed. She was still as beautiful as the first time Carmilla had ever seen her.

There was one more person in that room, a person that Carmilla didn't recognize. Her unfamiliar hurt Carmilla's heart, made her burn with jealousy as she watched her wife laugh back, watched her child join in. Watched the other woman wrap her arms around Carmilla's wife, and Laura looking like she belonged there.

She hadn't expected Laura to move on. She had wanted her to, but in her heart, she had always expected that she would be there waiting with open arms at her return. She hadn't expected to see her laughing with someone else, someone else in her place making silly faces at Amy. She hadn't expected change.

It was the change that did it, that made Carmilla walk away. It wasn't only the other woman, no matter how much she would have liked to lay all of the blame on her. No, it was her own reflection in the window pane, that forever young face unchanged by the years.

"You deserve this, Laura," she murmured to herself, reaching up and gently touching the window, touching the image of the scene taking place inside, the image of the people too caught up in their fun to notice her standing there. "You deserve to have someone to grow old with."

She walked away, her path marked only by a trail of red petals.


	3. Chapter 3

Laura hated the beeping. Incessant, just loud enough to disturb her sleep.

Not that the beeping was the only thing to disturb her sleep, no, the nurses did a good job of that. 'Mrs. Hollis, do you need anything?' 'Mrs. Hollis, could I get you some food or a drink?' 'Mrs. Hollis…'

"Mrs. Hollis, you have a visitor." There it was, the disruption. Not that this one was unwelcome.

"Of course! Send Amy in!" Laura loved receiving visits from her daughter, although she hadn't been expecting her that afternoon; usually she called first to make sure that Laura was feeling up to it.

"Mrs. Hollis, it's not Amy."

"Well who is it then?" Laura asked, returning to her previous annoyance at the nurse, who was checking her clipboard for an answer.

"Someone named… Caramel?"

Laura looked confused. "Caramel? I don't think I know…"

"Mrs. Hollis? Would you like me to send her away?"

"No," Laura replied vacantly, puzzled. "Let her in."

A minute later, a familiar figure appeared in the doorway, familiar being subjective- Laura hadn't seen her in almost seventy years. "Long time, no see, cupcake. Miss me?"


End file.
